Ancient churches are all too familiar with the perils of water getting in and causing damage to both the fabric and structure of the building. It’s a perennial and costly problem for historic places of worship all over the country.   The Grade 1 listed church of St Mary the Virgin in Warbleton, which dates back to the 13th-century, is suffering serious water ingress at the connection between the nave and the chancel, the two very oldest parts of the church. Urgent repairs are needed to stop the situation from getting any worse.   To this end, the church was delighted to receive a £3,000 grant this September from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust and the award will help meet the £14,400 cost of repairs. St Mary’s is one of 11 churches that received a grant from the Trust in the latest tranche of awards.   Churchwarden Tony Welford said: “If these issues aren’t addressed quickly, it could have a greater impact on the fabric and repair costs could increase substantially. The longer we leave it, the worse it will get, and the more expensive it will be. We therefore hope to get things started in the very near future.   “As anyone who has an intimate knowledge of Grade 1 listed buildings will know, managing repairs and providing the required funding is not straightforward but the speed with which the Trust responded to our request made things much easier for us, both on a practical and a supportive level.”   St Mary the Virgin has a rich history - the church is built on a Neolithic mound and, as well as the 13th-century chancel and nave, also features a 14th-century porch and north aisle and 15th-century tower.   Warbleton was the home parish of   Richard Woodman , one of the Lewes martyrs who was churchwarden and burned alive for his faith in 1557. Woodman, an ironmaster, publicly objected to the local Parish Priest changing from Protestant to Roman Catholic. He was captured, and taken to London to stand trial. At his trial, he showed remarkable knowledge of the Bible and was able to quote from it verbatim. He was condemned by the Bishop of Winchester and it is believed that he was locked in Warbleton Church Tower. On June 22nd 1557, he was burned to death with nine other martyrs in front of the Star Inn at Lewes.   Mr Welford added: “We are a small country Parish and issues like this always have a greater significance in comparison. The fact that we have already raised around £6k is testament to the place that the Church holds in our local community.”   The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of £50,000 in grants this month including St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Peter’s Westhampnett , St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary the Virgin , Ninfield .   Next year’s grant meetings will take place on April 10 and September 18; applicants are advised to apply at least two weeks in advance. See our Grants  page for more information.

The 800-year-old church of St Mary the Virgin in Ninfield has been awarded an £8,000 grant by the Sussex Historic Churches Trust to help fund   vital repairs to the parapet gutter and tower woodwork.   The grant was the largest conferred by the Trust in the latest round of awards in early September.     St Mary the Virgin, which is Grade 1 listed, dates back to pre-Norman times and is thought to lie on the route that the Normans took in 1066 - from their landing site at Pevensey to the battlefield at Senlac Field in Battle. The village of Ninfield is mentioned in the Domesday Book as having been badly damaged by the invading forces.   In recent years, the distinctive wooden bell tower has suffered from water penetration, and some of the roof joists are now rotten. The substrate of the parapet gutter is also thought to be failing. The church is hoping to raise further funds to cover the cost of the project and start work in early 2026.   The Revd Paul Frostick said: “ We were delighted to receive so generous a grant from Sussex Historic Churches Trust. It will make a huge difference to our project going forward. We are a small and fairly elderly congregation and struggle to keep things going. To receive such a generous grant is a great encouragement to us.”   The church is planning a series of fundraising activities over the coming months including a Michaelmas Fair in a few weeks.   The Revd Frostick   added: “The most urgent part of the project is to make repairs to the leadwork as water seems to be getting into the tower. Once that is done, then we can proceed with the painting of the tower woodwork as scaffolding will need to be in place for both aspects of the work.”    The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of £50,000 in grants in September including awards to the ancient churches of St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Peter’s Westhampnett, St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary’s, Warbleton.

The ancient church of St Peter’s in Westhampnett near Chichester has been given a helping hand by the Sussex Historic Churches Trust towards the cost of urgent repairs.   The church, which dates back to Saxon times and is Grade 2* listed, is one of 11 churches that received a grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust in the latest tranche of awards in September.   St Peter’s had applied to the Trust to help cover the cost of repairing a 19th-century window on the south aisle as well as carrying out repairs to severely-damaged plasterwork on the north aisle.   The repair to the south aisle window will involve restoring the window hopper, shot blasting and powder-coating the frame and repairing various cracks.   The north aisle was added in 1867 when the church was renovated. Much of the render is either in poor condition or missing altogether, including around the War Memorial which consists of two grey Hopton Wood stone tablets. The World War I and World War II tablets were designed by architect MacDonald Gill.   The Trust was delighted to support the project with a £2,000 grant. Sunrise Stained Glass Ltd is undertaking the window repair while Shepherd & Grantham Stonemasons will be repairing the north aisle render. Works are set to begin in October and will continue into 2026.   St Peter’s Church, first mentioned in the Domesday Book, is mainly built of flint rubble with stone dressings but the oldest surviving part is some Roman brick in the western part of the chancel, which dates back to the 11th century.   St Peter’s takes an active role in the annual Ride + Stride fundraiser and has raised nearly £1,000 over the last three years. This year the church was treated to a visit by the bishop, The Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner who is a keen Ride + Strider.   The Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner pictured centre on Ride + Stride Day Churchwarden Hazel Bate added: “The window hopper repair is an urgent matter, as it is causing damage to the adjacent stonework.   “The War Memorial in the church is seen as particularly important to repair, both to honour those who died and as the main memorial for the Westhampnett community. It is regularly visited by interested people and those paying their respects.   “St Peter’s is extremely grateful to the Sussex Historic Churches Trust for their generous grant towards these repairs. The upkeep of an historic church is a heavy burden and money has to be raised continuously through the congregation and other sources to enable repairs and preservation of the church.   “A reordering project is currently in progress, to make the church more user-friendly for the ever-growing community around Westhampnett by adding an accessible toilet and a tea-point in the south-west aisle, as well as a small meeting room and creche in the north-west aisle. These additions will ensure the future of the building as a community hub.”   St Peter’s is located north of Stane Street, the Roman Road connecting Chichester to London. It continues to be visited by pilgrims travelling on route to London and to Canterbury Cathedral, as well as to the shrine of St Richard in Chichester Cathedral.   The Sussex Historic Churches Trust awarded a total of £50,000 in grants in September including awards to the ancient churches of St Mary’s Bepton, St Giles in Graffham, St Mary’s Ninfield, St Peter & St Paul in Wadhurst and St Mary’s, Warbleton.

Ride + Stride: church details << Back Will be OPEN all day and manned. Sign in sheet will be in church St Mary the Virgin This church is open Church Street / Lawns Avenue Eastbourne BN21 1HW http://www.stmaryseastbourne.co.uk < Previous Next >

Search function for the Sussex Historic Churches Trust website No church found Next Bognor Regis Methodist Church 76 High St Next Bognor Regis PO21 1ST St Michael the Archangel Penhurst Lane Next Penhurst TN33 9QP Next St Laurence 51 Sea Place Next Goring-by-Sea Bn12 4BY Our Lady of England School Lane Next Storrington RH20 4LN Next Fitzalan Chapel (via St Nicholas) Next Arundel BN18 9AT St Thomas a Becket Church Approach Next Framfield TN22 5NS St Mark A272 Next Hadlow Down TN22 4HH Holy Trinity Chillies Lane Next High Hurstwood TN22 4AD St Margaret of Antioch Church Lane Next Isfield TN22 5XR St Michael and All Angels off A26 Next Little Horsted (Horsted Parva) TN22 5TS St Bartholomew Batts Bridge Road / High Street Next Maresfield TN22 2HQ St Mary Church Road Next Newick BN8 4JZ St James the Less High Street Next Nutley TN22 3NA Holy Cross Belmont Road Next Uckfield TN22 1BP Our Lady Immaculate and St Peter Neri 10 Westmoreland Ct Next Uckfield (Newtown) TN22 5DJ URC Church High Street Next Uckfield (Newtown) TN22 5AE St Mark B2165 Next Staplecross TN32 5PZ

List of churches and their status for Ride + Stride Ride + Stride: plan your route What's open for Ride + Stride? Search here by town / village or see list below. If on a laptop, you can also search by area using map below No church found Read More Area: Read More Area: Read More Area: St Bartholomew Church Lane Read More Albourne BN6 9BY This church is open but not manned Hurst & Burgess Hill Area: Alciston Church The Village Read More Alciston BN26 6UW http://www.berwickchurch.org.uk This church is open but not manned Seaford Area: St Mary Church Road Read More Aldingbourne PO20 3TT http://www.parishofabe.org.uk/ Open but not manned It's possible this church will be manned during the day. Arundel & Bognor Area: St Richard Gossamer Lane Read More Aldwick PO21 3AT https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/4756/ Open but not manned Arundel & Bognor Area: St Andrew The Tye Read More Alfriston BN26 5TL http://cuckmerechurches.org.uk/st-andrews-alfriston/ This church is open Will be hosting a sculpture exhibition as part of Art Wave during Ride and Stride Seaford Area: United Reformed Church Twytten Read More Alfriston BN26 5TL http://www.alfriston-churches.co.uk/ This church is open but not manned Seaford Area: St Michael Church Street Read More Amberley BN18 9ND This church is open but not manned Please note: there will be a very big Thanksgiving Service for the life of an eminent Amberley resident at St Michael's Church on Ride and Stride day. Storrington Area: St Mary Church Lane/Appledram Lane South Read More Apuldram PO20 7EF http://www.apuldramchurch.co.uk This church is open Chichester City & District Area: Congregational Church Street Lane Read More Ardingly Status unknown Cuckfield Area: St Peter Church Lane Read More Ardingly RH17 6UR http://www.ardinglychurch.co.uk/ Open and manned Cuckfield Area: St Saviour's Chapel Ardingly College Read More Ardingly RH17 6SQ Status unknown Cuckfield Area: St Pancras off Tye Hill Road Read More Arlington BN26 6SE http://stpancras-arlington.org.uk This church is open but not manned Seaford Area: mapAnchor Sussex Ride + Stride by area Click map areas below or scroll down for a list of areas. Hastings Battle & Bexhill (Battle, Bexhill & Ninfield) Dallington (Burwash, Dallington, Hailsham & Heathfield) Eastbourne (Eastbourne, Pevensey & Willingdon) Hastings (Hastings, Hollington & Saint Leonards) Rotherfield (Crowborough, Groombridge, Mayfield & Rotherfield) Rye (Bodiam, Northiam, Rye & Winchelsea) Uckfield (Buxted & Uckfield) Horsham Cuckfield (Ardingly, Cuckfield, Haywards Heath & Staplefield) Crawley & East Grinstead (Crawley, East Grinstead & Forest Row) Horsham (Billingshurst, Horsham & Slinfold) Hurst & Burgess Hill (Burgess Hill, Henfield & Hurstpierpoint Brighton & Lewes Brighton (Brighton, Rottingdean & Woodingdean) Lewes (Barcombe, Lewes, Peacehaven & Ringmer) Hove (Hove, Portslade, Shoreham & Southwick) Seaford (Newhaven & Seaford) Chichester Arundel & Bognor (Arundel, Bognor Regis & Littlehampton) Chichester City and District (Chichester, Fishbourne, Lavant, Selsey & The Witterings) Midhurst (Fernhurst, Midhurst & South Harting) Petworth (Fittleworth, Graffham, Petworth & Wisborough Green) Westbourne (Bosham, Funtington, Southbourne & Westbourne) Storrington (Amberley, Pulborough, Steyning & Storrington) Worthing (Ferring, Goring, Lancing & Worthing)